PRESS KIT
CONTENTS
Jaybird Productions - Mission Statement ......................................................................................... 3
Jaybird Productions - History ........................................................................................................... 3
Oleanna – History and Information .................................................................................................. 4
David Mamet, Playwright ................................................................................................................ 5
Jacqui Burke, Director and Producer ............................................................................................... 6
Christopher Mott, Fight Director ..................................................................................................... 7
Jacqui Skeete, Carol ......................................................................................................................... 7
James Robert Woods, John ............................................................................................................... 7
Awoba Bob-Manuel, Stage Manager ............................................................................................... 8
Oleanna Box Office and General Information ................................................................................. 9
Jaybird Productions - Mission Statement
Jaybrid Productions is an artist-driven community theatre company established with three
goals:
1) to present challenging and provocative plays not commonly produced at the community
theatre level in order to give community theatre artists an opportunity to tackle more
challenging work;
2) to invest in community outreach and connection; and
3) to teach youth about theatre in general and, specifically, Shakespeare in an active, fun way.
Jaybird Productions - History
Jaybird Productions is the brainchild of Jacqueline Burke, its Artistic Director and Producer. Established in the spring of 2009, Jaybird has
been offering its Shakespeare is Boffo and Kidsplay workshops to local tweens and teens gathering the resources necessary to present
its inaugural production: Oleanna by David Mamet to be presented at The Red Sandcastle Theatre in November of 2012.
Oleanna – History and Information
Oleanna is a two-character play by David Mamet, about the power struggle between a university professor and one of his female
students who accuses him of sexual exploitation and, by doing so, spoils his chances of being accorded tenure, loses him his job, and
ruins his life. The play's title, taken from a folk song, refers to a 19th-century escapist vision of utopia. This play was later adapted to a
movie with same name by Mamet.
The play premiered in May 1992 in Cambridge, Massachusetts as the first production of Mamet's new Back Bay Theater Company
starring William H. Macy as John, a "smug, pompous, insufferable man whose power over academic lives he unconsciously abuses" and
Rebecca Pidgeon as Carol, described by one critic as, "Mamet's most fully realized female character...” and directed by Mamet, himself.
The show has had various productions across North America and England, one of the most recent being a Broadway opening in 2009
starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman, directed by Lindsay Posner which ran for 65 performances and 12 previews.
Selected quotes:
“There can be no tougher or more unflinching play than Oleanna. “ Harold Pinter
“Experiencing David Mamet's play "Oleanna" on the stage was one of the most stimulating
experiences I've had in a theater. In two acts, he succeeded in enraging all of the audience - the
women with the first act, the men with the second. I recall loud arguments breaking out during
the intermission and after the play, as the audience spilled out of an off-Broadway theater all
worked up over its portrait of . . . sexual harassment? Or was it self-righteous Political
Correctness?” Roger Ebert
“As if ripped right from the typewriter, it could not be more direct in its technique or more
incendiary in its ambitions. “ Frank Rich
David Mamet, Playwright
David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director. Best known as a
playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984). He also received a Tony
nomination for Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog
(1997). Mamet's books include: The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly
Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The
Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, a commentary on the movie business.
Mamet is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company; he first gained acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway plays in 1976, The
Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for Glengarry Glen Ross,
which received its first Broadway revival in the summer of 2005. His play Race, which opened on Broadway on December 6, 2009 and
featured James Spader, David Alan Grier, Kerry Washington, and Richard Thomas in the cast, received mixed reviews. Mamet received
the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for Grand Master of American Theater in 2010.
Mamet's style of writing dialogue, marked by a cynical, street-smart edge, precisely crafted for effect, is so distinctive that it has come to
be called Mamet speak. He often uses italics and quotation marks to highlight particular words and to draw attention to his characters'
frequent manipulation and deceitful use of language. His characters frequently interrupt one another, their sentences trail off
unfinished, and their dialogue overlaps. Moreover, certain expressions and figures of speech are deliberately misrepresented to show
that the character is not paying close attention to every detail of his dialogue (e.g., or so forth instead of and so forth). Mamet himself has
criticized his (and other writers') tendency to write "pretty" at the expense of sound, logical plots.
When asked how he developed his style for writing dialogue, Mamet said, "In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while
away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, based solely on our ability to speak the language viciously. That's probably where my
ability was honed."
Mamet and actress Lindsay Crouse were married in 1977 and divorced in 1990. He and Crouse have two children together, Willa and
Zosia. Willa is a professional photographer and Zosia is an actress. Mamet has been married to actress and singer-songwriter Rebecca
Pidgeon since 1991. They have two children, Clara and Noah.
Jacqui Burke, Director and Producer
Jacqui Burke began her theatrical career in primary school, appearing in school plays as a performer. As she grew, she opted more for
behind the scenes work, first specializing as a Stage Manager in her twenties and, then, transitioning into a Director in her thirties. In
amateur theatre, as a Stage Manager and Director, Jacqui won many awards from the Association of Community Theatres in Central
Ontario including Best Director and Best Musical. She, then, worked as a professional Stage Manager all over Southern Ontario where
she worked on and toured various productions and, also, ran the Gryphon Theatre, summer stock, for seven years.
Following this stint, Jacqui took time off to start a family and lived abroad in Australia for two and half years. After her daughter was
older, Jacqui returned to amateur theatre exclusively as a Director and has been, recently, directing four shows a year.
But also, as her daughter grew, Jacqui started offering theatrical workshops for kids: a basic voice, body, and theatre skills workshop for
free twice a year. From this she developed and tested the Shakespeare is Boffo! concept. She also developed and continues to test the
Kidsplay concept, a show of skits conceived, written, and performed by the children themselves.
Jacqui is thrilled to have the opportunity to direct Oleanna. “This is a chance of a lifetime.”
Excerpts from past reviews:
"The play is beautifully and sensitively directed by Jacqui Burke, who balances the humour and
pathos in a near-perfect blend. In collaboration with the two leads an atmosphere is created that
is so relaxed and casual you almost feel like a voyeur as the two talk, flirt and start to fall in
love." Butterflies Are Free, Encore Productions, 2012. Mark Andrew Lawrence, FRONT ROW
CENTRE, Inside Toronto
"Jacqui Burke's nearly invisible direction helps focus the show on the back-story of Norah and
Rudy. As they discuss their tumultuous past, the performers move seamlessly into flashback
scenes that are beautifully executed. The tight collaboration between the performers and the
director create a portrait of a couple you will root for." Mark Andrew Lawrence, FRONT ROW
CENTRE, Inside Toronto. Wrong For Each Other, Encore Productions, 2012
Christopher Mott, Fight Director
A Stage Combat performer, instructor and director of 15 years experience, Christopher is more than pleased to be working on Oleanna,
his first show with Jaybird Productions. Past fight credits include GuineaPigging and After Mrs. Rochester (Alumnae), King Lear (Hart
House), S-27 (Toronto Fringe), Jean et Beatrice (Toronto Fringe), The Duchess of Malfi (Vile Passelit), Serviced (Toronto Fringe), The
Trojan Women (Canopy Theatre), The Aleatory Project (SummerWorks), and many others. He is also a member of The Rude
Mechanicals stage combat and comedy troupe. Christopher is a certified Instructor with Fight Directors Canada, and teaches at Rapier
Wit studios.
Jacqui Skeete, Carol
Jacqui Skeete is thrilled to be performing in Jaybird Productions’ Oleanna. Jacqui graduated from York University’s Conservatory Acting
program. She was last seen as Queen Titania in Speakeasy’s Production of Caribbean Dream (Midsummer’s Night Dream). Some of her
other favorite roles have been Dromio of Syracuse (Comedy of Errors),Mussolini (Summit Conference), and Honey Bunny (Pulp Fiction
LIVE!). Currently, Jacqui is the co-host on Cosmopolitan Television’s flagship show, Oh So Cosmo, where she dishes on men, DIY’s, and
fashion.
James Robert Woods, John
James is [happy/eager/enthusiastic/thrilled/not-indifferent -- insert other enthusiastic adjectives here] to be working with Jacqui and
Jacqui on David Mamet’s Oleanna, after a year or so focused on theatre for younger audiences. Parents of small children may have seen
him as Edvins and The Professor in Memory in the Mud at the Evergreen Brickworks, Dad in Vital Theatre’s Angelina Ballerina: The
Musical (Al Green Theatre, Lower Ossington Theatre, Vaughan City Playhouse), or in last winter’s Beauty and the Beast at Sudbury
Theatre Centre (if you happened to be in Sudbury last Christmas). More grown-up credits include Kantz in Neighbours (Toronto Fringe),
Pischik in The Cherry Orchard (Guild Festival Theatre), and his favourite to date, Salieri in Amadeus (Scarborough Players).
Many thanks to Jacqui for this [fantastic/incredible/extraordinary/amazing/not-implausible] opportunity. James lives in Toronto and
owns a thesaurus.
Awoba Bob-Manuel, Stage Manager
A young, celebrated director with a decade of experience in film, television and theatre , Awoba is regarded as "an actor's director" for
her ability to draw grand performances from her subjects. Her stage credits include African Theatre Ensemble’s Flood and most recently,
The Meeting. AbOriginal Productions’ Oluronbi: The Musical, Joke Silva's Lufodo Productions Shylock, Private Lies, and Game of Wit .
She has also stage managed Brixton Stories for Africa Theatres Ensemble.
Oleanna Box Office and General Information
Show Dates
November 15-17, 8:00
November 18, 2:00 pm
November 22-24, 8:00 pm
Venue:
The Red Sandcastle Theatre
922 Queen Street East (at Logan)
Our Partner Restaurant:
The Commissary
889 Queen Street East
Box Office:
416-845-9411
www.jaybirdproductions.ca
Ticket Prices:
Adult: $18
Senior/Student: $16
Dinner and Show Package: $30
Links:
www.jaybirdproductions.ca
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaybird-Productions/133676920019087
Twitter:
@jaybird01